Bloemenkwekerij van de Westeringh

“Where did we get ourselves into?!” That was the first thing Madiba grower John van de Westeringh thought when he started to cultivate chrysanthemums in 2005. Hence, a decade later, he owns an impressive greenhouse of 3.2 hectare. On a yearly basis they produce more than 17 million Madiba’s in seven different colours in this modern greenhouse!

When John was approached by Madiba- breeder Dekker Chrysanthemums to be the first grower in the Netherlands with this new variety, he took a leap of faith. The beginning was difficult, but John never stopped believing in this product. The turnaround came after one year: “A product that’s cheap and has a good quality attracts a new market.” Buyers and florists discovered the product which increased the demand.

Small but powerful

The strength of the Madiba are the number of small flowers per stem, the strength of the stem and the long vase life. The Madiba is as light as a feather but has a tremendous high ornamental value! Nowadays many buying parties no longer walk through the auction to see the merchandise in person. Therefore, flower grower van de Westeringh finds it very important to have and maintain a good reputation. “Just stay normal and do so.” This is John’s motto. Being focused on how to grow and cultivate is a must till the end.

Happily married

John compares the business relationship between van de Westeringh and FleuraMetz with a marriage. “ It is both giving and taking, to create and maintain a win-win situation for both parties.” Perhaps, it is because of this vision that FleuraMetz and van de Westeringh are ‘happily married’ for ten years now. When John was asked to be a preferred supplier he did not needed to re-think. He is satisfied about the cooperation and therefore he enjoys to invest in this partnership. The five-coloured chrysanthemum mix is one of the examples, an offer specially and exclusively made for FleuraMetz.

Silent power

The power and strength behind the scenes of van de Westeringh is the close team. “Besides the quality of the flowers it is important to have a good ambiance in the company”. All employees are locals, everybody goes home for lunch. We do not work on the Friday evenings but have a drink and a laugh. It really is a team you can trust and rely on, something that needs to be said more often! Even when I am going on holiday they keep the production and business going. I am going away for holidays with peace of mind!”